Teenage hair stylist from Newcastle chosen as finalist in prestigious UK Hair and Beauty Awards

A hairstylist from Newcastle, has been selected as a finalist for a prestigious award in the hair and beauty industry, despite being only 19-years-old.

After finishing school, Jude Taylor began his career as a hairdresser by working in a small salon in Sunderland.

However, he then secured an apprenticeship at The Junkyard Studios, which is on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle. Jude said: “The Junkyard Studios did the type of hairdressing I wanted to be doing, such as bright colours and creative haircuts.”

Jude began and successfully completed his apprenticeship, which mainly consisted of in-house training, alongside one day a week at college.

Jude is also proud to work at the award-winning salon, The Junkyard Studios given the inclusivity of their business, he explained: “We are probably the most inclusive salon in Newcastle. We don’t have any gendered price lists, and everyone is welcome.”

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Jude loves to give people huge colour transformations, but he says his favourite thing about his job is making clients feel confident. He said: “Seeing the confidence you give people once you’ve done their hair, you can see the boost it gives them.”

Jude is now celebrating after being selected as a finalist in The Official UK Hair and Beauty Awards 2023, in the Hairstylist of the Year category.

A big awards ceremony will be held in Birmingham, and Jude is looking forward to the event, bringing along one of his hair models, who featured in his collection of images submitted to the competition, to the glamorous event.

Jude has previously been selected in the Top 10 for the awards as an apprentice, but now he has fully qualified, he decided to enter “the big one”.

Jude said: “It’s surreal to be selected! I never thought I’d be picked. It’s quite exciting. It would be amazing to win, and bring back the award to the North East.”